Carl Bates was born January 27, 1884, the son of Edward Henry Bates and Cora (Ballard) Bates, pioneer residents of Clear Lake, Iowa. Bates graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1903. He went on to graduate from the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago,...

Carl J. Fox, born in 1895, grew up on a farm north of Laurens, Iowa, and went to the same rural school that Emma, his wife-to-be, attended. After his service in World War I, Emma and Carl began operating roller skating rinks in several different locations. They came...

The entire Dean Snyder family has made and continues to make a significant contribution to the Clear Lake community. Dean and his wife Joanne and their three sons, Don, Dale and David, have all lived here practically their entire lives. Dean began his career as a...

Don Thompson graduated from Clear Lake High School as valedictorian of his class of 1945. In addition to academic success, he was a member of a trumpet quartet that won state and national contests and was captain of the football team. He excelled in science and math...

Dorothy Garlock, known as "The Voice of the American Heartland," is a national best-selling, award-winning author. Her books often feature the exciting backdrop of the Old West, but have even spotlighted Clear Lake itself. With more than 37 books currently in print,...

They came from the fjords of Norway, the heather-covered hills of Scotland and England and the craggy shores of southwestern Ireland. They, like countless other immigrants, poured across the Atlantic with the dream of a better life for their families. Some settled in...

A middle-school science teacher in West Branch, Iowa, Hector Ibarra was greatly impacted by teachers in Clear Lake. He says, “The teachers that really should be honored are my fourth grade teacher, Myrtle Olson, and elementary principal Grace Anderson. Without their...

In May of 1988, a Globe Gazette reporter described Jim Ahrens as “The tall, thin man with a ready, smile, competitive heart and dry sense of humor,” a man who “enjoyed brilliant high school and college basketball careers before embarking on a teaching and coaching...

Some people make a difference – over and over and over again. John Klaudt was one of those people. John began his teaching career at Riceville High School in 1961 then in 1964 he accepted a position at Clear Lake High School. Among his lasting contributions to the...

1977 CLHS graduate Kathy Bartlett is currently a Senior Program Officer with the Aga Khan Foundation based in Switzerland where she has worked for twelve years. Kathy, who earned her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, is responsible for overall program planning,...

A 1975 CLHS graduate, Kurt F. Ubbelohde earned an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1979. Kurt went on to earn his Master’s degree in Physics at the University of California, San Diego,...

A colorful part of early Clear Lake, Lon Green did much to develop the area’s natural tourism potential. His love of boats brought him to the shores of the lake where he would sail until he reached his 90s. The following article appeared in the local newspaper upon...